Burlington Police Host Drug Take Back Saturday

BURLINGTON, MA — Burlington Police will be hosting a drug take back event Saturday, they said Tuesday. The Burlington event coincides with National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a nationwide, no-questions-asked prescription drug return event. It will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wegmans, 53 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803.

"Getting unused or unwanted medications out of your home by turning them in at a drug take back event ensure those medications will be disposed of properly and won't be available to anyone who isn't supposed to have them," Burlington Police Chief Michael Kent said in a statement. "We'd like to thank Wegmans for partnering with us to host this important event and we encourage residents to stop by with their excess medications."

Pills and patches can be dropped off, but not needles or liquids. The Food and Drug Administration has information on how to dispose of needles and other medications and medical devices.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated in 2017 that 18 million people misused prescription medications in the previous year. And "from 1999 to 2017, almost 218,000 people died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids," according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The Burlington Police Department also has a 24-hour drug drop box in its main lobby.